President Donald Trump is facing mounting backlash over his newly passed budget bill, which critics say undermines working-class Americans while handing out generous tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations. Nicknamed the “Big, Beautiful Bill” by the President himself, the legislation has sparked widespread outrage among policy experts, opposition lawmakers, and advocacy groups.
The bill, narrowly approved by Congress this week, includes more than $1.4 trillion in cuts to key social programs such as Medicaid, food assistance (SNAP), and health subsidies linked to the Affordable Care Act. At the same time, it extends over $3 trillion in tax breaks, heavily skewed toward top-income households and large businesses.
Analysts say the financial burden will fall hardest on low- and middle-income families, a voter base Trump has repeatedly pledged to support.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” said Sharon Parrott, president of the Centre on Budget and Policy Priorities. “This bill takes from those already struggling to get by and redirects resources to those who need help the least. It’s a direct hit to the people who believed the President would fight for them.”
Who Gains, Who Loses?
According to fresh analysis from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), families in the bottom 30% of earners will, on average, see their incomes decline under the new budget. Those in the lowest 10% could lose around $1,600 a year, representing almost 4% of their income. In contrast, the wealthiest 10% stand to gain roughly $12,000 annually, with households in the top 0.1% — those earning over $3.3 million — seeing tax cuts averaging $103,500 per year.
“It’s crystal clear who benefits here,” said John Ricco, associate director at the Yale Budget Lab. “Low- and moderate-income families are set to lose ground, while the top earners walk away with significant tax relief.”
Ricco’s team also projects that incomes for the poorest 20% of households will fall by nearly 3% over the next decade, while the second-lowest group faces a smaller, but still noticeable, drop.
Healthcare, Food Assistance and Education on the Chopping Block
Despite assurances from the White House that “no one will lose coverage,” independent estimates suggest otherwise. Jeanne Lambrew, director of health policy at the Century Foundation, warns that the proposed cuts to Medicaid alone could leave at least 16 million Americans without health insurance, driving the total number of uninsured to nearly 45 million — a figure not seen since before the Affordable Care Act’s introduction.
Lambrew rejected administration claims that the cuts are aimed at reducing fraud and waste. “The idea that these cuts only target abuse is misleading at best,” she said. “The vast majority of these reductions come straight from benefits that people rely on.”
Food assistance programs are also slated for cuts, with millions expected to lose access to SNAP benefits. Children, in particular, will be disproportionately affected — over 2 million could see their food aid reduced or eliminated.
In the education sector, the budget includes significant cuts to Pell Grants, threatening financial aid for more than 4 million students from low- and middle-income families. The bill also initially proposed eliminating funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, though that provision has so far met resistance from within the President’s party.
Critics Call it “Punitive and Extreme”
Policy experts and opposition figures have labelled the bill one of the harshest fiscal proposals in recent memory. “It’s punitive. It means. It’s unnecessary,” said Chuck Marr, vice president for federal tax policy at the Centre on Budget and Policy Priorities. He emphasised that, unlike previous tax reforms, this bill offers little to no relief for working-class families.
“They’re stripping resources from vulnerable communities and handing out tax breaks to the top,” Marr added. “We haven’t seen a budget this aggressive in shifting wealth upwards in decades.”
Even some of the bill’s more headline-grabbing provisions, such as the “no tax on tips” and “no tax on overtime” initiatives, have been criticised as misleading. Tax analysts note that many tipped workers already earn too little to owe federal income taxes, meaning the measure will have a minimal impact on those at the bottom.
Similarly, the overtime tax relief is expected to provide negligible benefits for lower earners, amounting to less than $10 per year, according to Ricco.
Public Opinion Divided, But Majority Opposed
Recent polling suggests the bill is broadly unpopular. A Quinnipiac University survey shows just 27% of voters back the budget, while 53% oppose it. Even a Fox News poll, often more favourable to the administration, found only 38% support, with nearly 60% opposed.
Meanwhile, Democratic lawmakers have vowed to challenge key elements of the legislation in court and upcoming policy debates, arguing it violates basic principles of economic fairness.
President Trump, however, has defended the bill as necessary to “unleash the American economy” and “reward hard work.” However, with millions of working-class families facing the potential loss of healthcare, food assistance, and educational opportunities, many are questioning exactly who stands to gain—and who will be left behind.
